gerber



Feb, 7, 1956 o. H. GERBER DOORWAY LIGHTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 15, 1952 INVENTOR. DONALD H. [HERE] ER il. Mm

ATTORNEY United States Fatent O DOORWAY LIGHTING AYPARATUS Donald H. Gerber, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application October 13, 1952, Serial No. 314,521

1 Claim. (Cl. 246-4) This invention relates to doorway lighting apparatus and in particular to doorway lighting means which is ac tuated automatically upon the opening of the outer storm or screen door.

Lighting fixtures operated automatically by the opening or closing of a door have been in use in the past. Gerierally the mode of action of these arrangements has been to make use of the camming action of the closing door to operate mechanically the actuating button of a switch connected in circuit with the light. The service life of such arrangements, particularly where used in locations exposed to the weather, has not been satisfactory.

An object of the present invention is to provide a unitary doorway lighting fixture and switch, actuated by the adjacent door.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a doorway lighting apparatus which is not dependant upon any mechanical carnming action, but is actuated by coacting magnetic means located in the door itself and at the switch.

A further object is to provide a doorway lighting arrangement for dwellings which will have a prolonged and trouble-free service life though the switch and actuating means are exposed to the weather.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description including the drawings in which:

Figure l is a sectional view of the switch and a portion of the surrounding door frame parts, the coacting door being shown in broken lines in its closed position and in solid lines in its open position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a doorway showing the location of the lighting fixture.

Referring to Figure 1, the switch assembly compris ing a cover 11, formed of relatively non-magnetic, electrically conductive metal and a base 12 formed of suitable electrically non-conductive material. The cover 11 and base 12 are secured together adjacent each of their corresponding ends by means of four through-screws 13 (only two of which are shown in the sectional view of Figure 1).

Mounted on the base 12 by means of screws 14 and 16 is a spacer 17 and a resilient switch blade 18 which has a slight upward bias. Near its free end the blade 18 carries a contact 19, and 011 its opposite face an armature member 21 formed of suitable permeable material such as soft steel. A contact 22 is mounted in the cover 11 in electrically conductive relation therewith, the contact 22 being the end of a screw threaded through the casing 11 and therefore adjustable vertically within the switch housing. A permeable member 23 is threaded into the base 12 adjacent the armature 21.

The rear end of blade 18 extends freely through an opening in the end of the cover 11 and serves as a conice necting terminal for the contact 19 by means of the terminal screw 21. Any one of the screws 13 serves as a connecting terminal for the contact 23.

Mounted on a boss 24 formed on the base 12 is a reflector 26 having circumferential flanges 27. Suitably m0unted in the reflector 26 is a bulb and socket generally indicated at 28, the rear of the socket extending beyond the rear face of the reflector 26 for the attaching of suitable wiring. Shown schematically at 29 is a recommended wiring arrangement for the switch and light, these being connected in series and, by suitable wiring to the conventicnai door-bell transformer which may be located remotely from the door lighting apparatus.

A circular rim 33 retains a protective glass 32 in place, the flanges 27, the rim 33 and glass 32 being clamped in place by screws suitably spaced about the circular rim 33. ragmentarily shown at is a door frame member into which an opening has been cut to accommodate the unitary switch and door iight assembly. Adjacent the header member 3a? is the conventional casing member 37 into which a notch has been cut to accommodate the right hand portion of the switch assembly 10. A block 38 is held in place by means of a shoulder on the permeable member 23 and, with a portion of the casing 37 forms a flush surface adjacent the upper edge of the door 39, shown in open position by solid lines. A retaining strip 41 extends across the opening cut in the frame member 34 and is put in place after the switch has been properly located in the opening. Strip ii and frame member 34 hold the screws which retains the light assembly in place.

A magnet 23 is imbedded in the upper edge of the outer storm or screen door 39 and is located so that when the door is closed the magnet 43 is positioned adjacent the permeable member 23.

in operation, with the door in open position and therefore with magnet 43 remote from permeable member 23, the normal upward bias of switch blade 18 is sufiicient to hold contacts 19 and 22 closed and the light 28 lighted. As long as the door 39 is held open, while a key is inserted in the main door (shown at 46 in Figure 2), etc., the door light will remain energized. As the door 39 closes the magnet 43 will come to rest adjacent the permeable member 23 whereupon armature 21 will be attracted toward the upper end of member 23, this movement of armature 21 and correspondingly of switch blade 18 serves to open contacts 19 and 22 deenergizing the door light 28.

It will be apparent that the above described door-lighting apparatus is a unitary assembly, the reflector assembly being mounted on the switch body 10, so that the whole assembly may be easily mounted in its proper position in the doorway, and that the switching action is accomplished magnetically without any mechanical actuation of a switch part by the moving door.

What is claimed is:

In combination a doorway lighting fixture mounted within a doorframe between an access door and a protective door, said fixture including as a unitary assembly a reflector and an elongated switch housing carried by said reflector, said switch housing extending laterally beyond said reflector, an electrical illuminating bulb mounted within said reflector, said housing enclosing a switch hav ing contacts controlling the energization of said bulb, said switch comprising a fixed contact and a moveable contact cooperating therewith, an elongated flexible blade mounted within said housing and having one free end, said moveable contact being mounted on said blade adjacent its free end, an armature also carried by said blade adjacent its free end, a permeable member cooperable i a'tented Feb. 7, 1956 3 4 with. "said armature extending outside said housing ad- References Cited in the file of this patent jacent the end of said housing furthestiaterally from said UNITED STATES VPATENTSv reflector, said switch housing extending normal to the 5 plane of movement of the doors mounted within the door Kuntz 1940 frame when the doors are in closed position, and said 5 2624792 Fruh 1953 permeable member being thereby positioned adjacent the FOREIGN PATENTS protective door When said door is closed, a permanent 17997 France Jam 5 1914 magnet imbedded in said protective door adjacent said permeable member to cooperate With said permeabiemember and armature to open said contacts thereby deenergizing 10 said bulb when said protective door is closed.

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